But I Just Knew Her as Aunt Peggy
by Bad Wolf and Timelords
Summary: Peggy Carter and Howard Stark saw and did much together since the second world war, and even after, stuck together through thick and thin until the very end; even the mundane, family moments in life.
1. Chapter 1

**May 25, 1973**

Although the morning rain outside thundered down on the small Washington home, the atmosphere in its kitchen was warm and cheery as Peggy Carter and Daniel Sousa sat across from each other, sipping on hot coffee as he read through the morning paper and she through new SHIELD files. The air around them was quiet, with the occasional _hmm_ and _haa_ coming from Daniel when he found something of interest in the news. He looked up however when his wife's English accent sounded from across the table.

"Maria called, invited us over to privately celebrate Tony's birthday." She said, not looking up from her reports.

Studying her for a moment, he nodded before looking back to the paper, however he didn't actually read it. "Well that's nice."

"Yes, indeed." Peggy agreed, taking a sip from her mug.

They resumed their silence for a little while longer until Daniel put his paper down once more, leaning forwards.

"Will Howard be there?"

"Maria promised she'd be sure of it."

"Ah." He nodded in understanding before a thought occurred to him. "Any idea what to get Tony for a present?"

Finally, she looked up from her papers to look at him curiously. "Absolutely no idea."

"Yeah, what do you get for a kid who already has everything?" He chuckled weakly.

"Unfortunately it's not as simple as putting a few dollars in an envelope and calling it a day." She leaned back in her chair to think.

"No, it isn't." He agreed.

"He's a good boy, we'll find something." She smiled slightly.

Nodding once more in agreement, he ducked his head as a thought crossed his mind, making him chuckle once more. "You think the boss will give me the day off so I can go?"

Looking up in surprise, she grinned. "I'm not entirely sure. I hear she can be quite difficult to negotiate with."

"Hmm... I'm sure I'll find a way." He promised, leaning over the table.

"Are you sure about that?" She challenged, leaning over the table as well, a wicked grin on her unpainted lips.

"Positive." He whispered before closing the gap and pecking her on the mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

**May 29, 1973**

Gone were the days of espionage, of risking his life for the people of the world. No, the missions Edwin Jarvis carried out these days included serving tea, trimming rose bushes in the yard, and chasing after Stark; rather, little Tony Stark instead of his father Howard. However, he felt as though he had been brought back almost 30 years into the past when a female English voice sounded behind him one sunny afternoon.

"Hello, Mr. Jarvis."

Straightening up from the hedge he had been looking after, he smiled widely when he saw his two old friends. "Miss Carter!" He said happily. "And Agent Sousa, it has been too long."

Walking through the bright green ass without so much as a wobbly step in her high heels, Peggy embrace her old comrade. "It has been far too long, Mr. Jarvis." She agreed.

"Mr. Jarvis," Daniel stuck out his hand for the other man to shake after he and Peggy pulled away. "You look well."

"As well as one can be when running about after Mr. Stark's legacy." Jarvis replied dryly.

"Hmm… stolen inventions or the birthday boy himself?" Peggy teased.

"Believe me, Miss Carter, when I say I would much rather be chasing after Mr. Stark's mad creations." He told her.

"Sound's like you still are, pal." Daniel said.

"Yes, well." Jarvis shot him a soft glare, making Peggy and Daniel laugh. "Shall I bring you to Mrs. Stark?"

"Yes, if you don't mind." She said as the three of them made their way off the lawn and into the house.

"If I may ask, Agent Sousa," Jarvis began as he led them through the halls of the mansion. "Is there anything in that gift box that will be trouble in the future that I should be made aware of at this time?" He cautiously eyed the box in Daniel's hands.

"I can assure you, Mr. Jarvis, that there is nothing in that box that jeopardizes your safety." Peggy promised.

"Maybe not physically." Daniel said cheekily, earning a sigh from Jarvis and a glare from Peggy.

Not another word was said between the three however as they stepped out onto the back patio surrounding the large swimming pool and a voice interrupted whatever else might have been said.

"Peggy!" Maria cried when she saw the other woman from her patio chair.

"Hello, Maria!" Peggy replied, returning her embrace when they joined her under the awning. "You look well."

"As well as I can be." Maria smiled before turning to Peggy's husband. "Daniel! Should I worry about what's in that box?"

"Gee, you'd think no one around here trusts me, Peg." Daniel joked as he passed the wrapped box to Maria.

"I had a hand in picking at least one of the gifts; at the very least they could trust me." Peggy threw back just as teasingly.

"You see, Maria? Nothing to worry about." He said as he engulfed the woman in a hug as best as he could while still leaning on his crutch.

"I trust you too, Daniel. It's Howard I worry about when it comes to giving Tony age appropriate gifts." She shook her head fondly. "Please, sit down."

"Speaking of which, where are the two gentlemen?" Peggy looked around the yard as she sat next to Daniel on the bench.

"Ana is getting Tony from his afternoon nap, and god help me if I know where Howard is." Maria said as she sat across from the couple.

"How is Ana, Jarvis?" Daniel looked up to the butler.

"She's doing remarkably well, Agent Sousa. Thank you for asking." Jarvis answered happily. "She quite enjoys running after the younger Mr. Stark."

"I'm sure she does." Peggy said, however the smile she wore now was slightly pained with the lingering guilt of Ana being shot during an investigation in 1947 which rendered her unable to have children.

"Mr. Jarvis, not so much." A lilting voice called from across the patio, making everyone turn to the newcomer.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, darling." Jarvis promised as he wrapped an around Ana's waist as she joined them in the cool shade.

"Of course not." She returned. Bouncing slightly, she turned her body to face Peggy and Daniel, however turned her head away. "Anthony, you have some visitors." She said quietly to the sleepy boy perched on her hip.

Letting out a large yawn, little Tony Stark blearily looked up from Ana's neck to instinctively look at his mother. When Maria simply nodded once to her right, his face lit up bright and aware when he followed his mother's gaze and it landed on Peggy and Daniel.

"Aunt Peg! Uncle Dan!" He cried out joyfully, attempting to wiggle out of Ana's hold which she quickly relinquished. As soon as he was free, he launched himself at the laughing couple who scooped him up into a big group hug, with him at the very center. "I missed you!"

"We missed you too, Buddy." Daniel said after they pulled away, seating the small toddler in between them on the bench.

As Tony began to eagerly talk to her husband, Peggy glanced over at Maria, who had just sent Jarvis off to search for her on husband, while Ana sat next to her. Locking gazes, Peggy motioned to the present on table before looking back to her friend, who gave her a slight nod of approval. Reaching over to the glass topped table, she took the present in her hands and turned to the child beside her. "Happy birthday, darling!" Peggy smiled while passing the l box to the small boy.

"Thank you, Aunt Peg and Uncle Dan!" Tony said sweetly before tearing the paper off and ripping into the box. Peeking inside he pulled out three large books and small teddy bear before hugging them to his chest. "I love them! Mommy! Look what Aunt Peg and Uncle Dan got me!"

"Yes, sweetheart, I can see!" Maria said, reaching for one of the large book in her son's arms. "Lord of the Rings, Daniel? Really?"

"He thought they were appropriate." Peggy shook her head, a fond smile on her face.

"Yeah! You see, it's 1973, right?" Daniel said, lifting Tony up onto his lap.

"I'm three now!" Tony exclaimed, holding up three fingers.

"Yes, Tony, you are." Daniel laughed. "And the story goes: Three for the elven kings under the sky, Seven for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone, Nine for the mortal men doomed to die, One for the dark lord on his dark throne." He explained.

"Thas 1973 backwards." The little boy crowed.

"That's right. But I didn't say the best part: In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie, One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."

"That sounds scary." Tony's little lip jutted out slightly.

"It's just a story, Tony." Howard's voice suddenly sounded as he finally joined the party, Jarvis following behind. "There are worse monsters out there than orcs."

"Howard, not helping!" Maria said sternly.

"What? Kid's gotta know the truth, and the truth literally hurts." He replied. "Peggy, looking lovely as always."

"I swear it's getting harder to get a hold of you at work, Howard." Peggy said, standing to embrace her old friend.

"Yeah, we could use you around." Daniel added.

Shaking the other man's hand, Howard smirked. "You know I'd be there, but I'm gathering inventors."

"Oh, you mean for the Expo, or, your ego gone wild?" Peggy said as she sat back down, smoothing her skirt as she did so.

"This has nothing to do with my ego." He reassured her before glancing down to his son who was preoccupied with the large volumes in his tiny lap, happily singing away to himself as he sat next to her. "I'm planning for the future. Speaking of which, how are the kids?"

"They're doing well." Daniel confirmed "They're out of state visiting my parents this weekend. They say hello."

"Still not interested in joining the agency like Mom and Dad, huh?" Howard scoffed.

"Not everyone is cut out for espionage." Peggy reprimanded him.

Whatever. Now cummon, I have this and I want to test it out." He brandished a camera in the air that had been hidden in a lump of towels on the table next to him. "The three of you get in nice and close. Tony, put the book down so I can see your face."

"Is this really necessary to do now, Howard?" She asked, moving in close to the other two boys on the bench, reaching an arm around the back of the seat, which Daniel did the same, leaving Tony squished comfortably between them.

"You remember last year, and the year before that?" He asked as he looked through the viewfinder, preparing the shot. "It's the best we get this one before the kid is covered in cake. Now everyone smile!"


	3. Chapter 3

**May 2, 2015**

"Baron Strucker had a lot of friends." Tony said as they all dug into the multitude of boxes of old files.

As he read through one file, Bruce shuddered. "Well, these people are all horrible."

Glancing over to see what the scientist had read, Tony threw out a hand. "Wait, I know that guy." He said upon seeing the image.

Not paying much attention to what the two resident geniuses were discussing, Steve reached into his selected box, shuffling through the loose papers. He recoiled slightly in surprise however as his hand grazed a small satiny piece of paper in the folder. Peeking into the box and pulling out the photo, the black and white image shocked him to the core. Not believing his eyes, he brought the image closer to his face, studying the lined but still familiar face of the woman smiling at the camera as she leaned into a man seated next to her on her left. Shifting his gaze, he looked long and hard at the small beaming child between the two adults, a large stack of books in his lap and a teddy bear held tight in his arms.

"Steve, you find anything?" Natasha called, having noticed how captivated he seemed by the photo in his hands.

"Tony, is this you?" Steve turned to look at his friend, confusion written on his face.

Looking to the Captain beside him, Tony took the picture to look at it himself, believing it to be another military photo. He was surprised though when he zeroed in on the small toddler in the picture. "Yeah, that's me." He confirmed with a nod, flipping it over to see the large blocky and childish print spelling out _Tony, Aunt Peg, and Uncle Dan. May 29, 1973._ In the back of his mind he could faintly hear his mother cooing to him as he had written the caption on the back of the freshly printed picture, saying _"Don't press to hard now, sweetheart, or you'll ruin the picture."_ Blinking, he forced himself back into the present to look at an expectant Steve.

"Do you know who they are?" Steve asked.

"Aunt Peg and Uncle Dan." Tony shrugged. "They weren't actually related to me, they were friends of the Old Man at SHIELD; Aunt Peg helped set it up and Uncle Dan came with her from the SSR. After this picture was taken, we moved to California, so I didn't see them as much as I did in Washington."

"Peg. Peggy Carter." Steve clarified. "She was one of the few people in the SSR who believed in me before I was tested on. She was with me until I went under."

"You loved her." Natasha interjected, understanding why he was so shocked to find the photo of the woman he loved with his friend.

"Yeah. I'd like to think she loved me too." He mumbled.

The room was silent for a moment as everyone muddled in their own thoughts, no one saying anything or moving until Tony looked at the picture again, looking at the objects he clung to so tightly in the picture. "You know, Uncle Dan was crazy about _Lord of the Rings_ and made sure I read them. If you want, I've still got those books somewhere, you can borrow them." He offered.

"They happen after _The Hobbit_ , right?" Steve said. "I read that when it first came out."

"Yeah." Tony nodded. "I'll find them after we beat Ultron, and I'll want them back, by the way. But first, let's keep looking for information on Klaw."


	4. Chapter 4

**June 4, 2016**

 _She's gone._

 _In her sleep._

That's what the text Steve received had said.

When he had come out of the ice what felt like a lifetime ago, he had thought everyone he had ever known was gone, and it had significantly weighed on him. To think that he was alone in this strange new world left him feeling lost. While he had made new friends and comrades over these last few years, it was still hard to connect with anyone who didn't have shared life experiences. So, when he found out Peggy was still alive, he had just felt lucky to have her. Sure, they couldn't have the life they once could have, but she had done good in her own life, and he wouldn't take that from her for anything.

He was just lucky to have her.

And now she, like everyone else, was gone.

So, with tears in his eyes and her casket on his shoulder, Steve led the small precession of pallbearers to the front of the cathedral. Though his vision was blurry, as they got closer to the front, he spotted something small and ratty amongst the pristine flowers next to Peggy's portrait by the alter. Once close enough, Steve sighed sadly as he recognized the now well loved teddy bear that was missing an eye. A teddy bear that he had only seen clutched in the arms of a young boy, placed between Peggy Carter and her husband in a black and white photograph taken so long ago.


End file.
